Indigenous Advisory Committee Members

Charlotta Andrew

Charlotta is a member of the Lil’wat First Nation who was raised by parents, who are Residential School survivors, each attending up to 12 years of Residential School. Charlotta has four children. She worked in carpentry prior to the birth of her third daughter, Qeptsaka7, who born with a developmental disability. Qeptsaka7 is 20 years old now. Charlotta describes Qeptsaka7 as having an extreme developmental disabilities in all area of daily living. She in non-verbal but is still able to walk at this stage. Since the birth of Qeptsaka7, Charlotta has been an Advocate and has an increasing knowledge about the barriers of service delivery on-reserve for persons with a disability.

Charlotta also helps with care for her aging residential school survivor parents. Her father is 84 and now experiencing memory loss. Her mother is 82 and has progressive dementia. Both parents live separately. Charlotta is finding it very difficult to deal with dementia in a residential school survivors. Charlotta has joined the CLBC Aboriginal Advisory Committee in hopes of advocating for services on the reserve so her daughter can continue to live with her people.

Charlotta is from the Vancouver Coastal Region and has been a member of the Aboriginal Advisory Committee since 2010, as an Aboriginal Family member representative.

Neil Belanger

Neil Belanger is a member of the Lax Se el Clan (Frog) in the House of Nika’teen within the Gitxsan First Nation. Neil has worked successfully with a variety of First Nation organizations across British Columbia in his role as a health consultant and Executive Director, in addition to being the Executive Director for various health and disability organizations throughout his career both in British Columbia and in Saskatchewan.

Tanya Davoren

Tanya Davoren is the Director of Health for Métis Nation British Columbia and has been since the summer of 2008. She is passionate and committed to her work and the relationships she has built across numerous sectors. Tanya’s career started as a Registered Nurse and she worked in hospital as a float RN since 2000 and then later as a Patient Care Coordinator/Nursing Care Clinician before “taking a leap of faith” and going to work for her Métis community at Métis Nation British Columbia. The change was worth it and she is able to put her health knowledge, advocacy skills and unique leadership style to work.

Tanya, as Director of Health for MNBC, has negotiated many contribution agreements at both the federal and provincial level. Tanya Davoren is the lead on an information sharing agreement between the BC Ministry of Health and Métis Nation British Columbia’s central registry. This program for Métis citizens has led to Métis Citizen specific data being available in British Columbia for the very first time.

Combining the celebration of her Métis heritage and her passion for health has created an extremely satisfying career where she has been given the opportunity to actively work towards better health and wellness for her fellow Métis Citizens and all Aboriginal people as MNBC’s Director of Health. She currently works from her home office in Vernon with her husband Rob and their 3 beautiful children.

Brian Govereau

Bio coming soon.

Gail Parenteau

Gail currently holds the position of Disabled, Elders, and Veterans Coordinator, proudly employed with Métis Nation British Columbia (MNBC) Ministry of Health since 2009. Gail also volunteered with the MNBC Veterans for five years prior to securing employment with the Métis Nation.

Gail brings forty-plus years of a variety of health care experience to her positions at MNBC Ministry of Health. As an employee of MNBC, she has also held the position of Regional Health Coordinator to Interior Health, MNBC Ministry of Health Program Assistant with a provincial scope and liaised at many of the health authorities in the province and other health and wellness-related meetings as a representative and educator on behalf of MNBC.

Being Métis, a mother, a grandmother, and great grandmother is the driving force behind her passion for the health and wellness of all Métis.

Derina Peters

Bio coming soon.

Sherwin Strong

Sherwin is a self advocate in the Comox valley. He assists those seeking direction in regards to employers as well as service providers and local businesses. He has also been involved with the BC Self Advocacy Foundations’s Promoting Our Abilities Project highlighting the importance of hiring peoples with diverse abilities.

Jackie Watts

Jackie Watts is the Provincial Advisor for Aboriginal Supported Child Development (ASCD) Programs of BC. Jackie sees the value and importance in building and maintaining strong service relationships so that children who access ASCD have easy and seamless transitions to Adult Services such as Aboriginal or Indigenous Community Living Services in BC.

Jackie contributes to the overall coordination, training, resources and support for ASCD programs and services to Aboriginal children and families in British Columbia. The Provincial Advisor is the key point of contact and provides expert advice, consultation, support, information, resources, coordination and leadership for Aboriginal Supported Child Development Programs and ASCD staff across the province.